UFC 180: Werdum seeks another belt for Brazil at Octagon debut in Mexico

Werdum (right) tries to bring the heavyweight belt back to Brazil. Photo: Josh Hedges

On October 25th, Brazil found itself facing the threat of being left without any Ultimate belts when José Aldo faced Chad Mendes in Rio de Janeiro. After the moment of tension with Aldo's successful defense, the country is now experiencing a different expectation this Saturday (15), when Fabricio Werdum will have the chance to increase the number of Brazilian titles in the main MMA organization on the planet against Mark Hunt, at UFC 180, an event that marks the debut of the Octagon in Mexico.

SEE TOO:
- Video: Werdum seeks consecration in the heavyweight belt
- Video: Remember Werdum's submission over Fedor
- Velasquez minimizes Wedum x Hunt: 'He's not a real champion'

Guaranteed as a challenger since April, when he beat Travis Browne, Werdum saw his chance for the straight belt turn into a fight for the interim title less than a month before the duel, when the champion Cain Velazquez he was injured and ended up being cut from the fight. However, if he overcomes Hunt on Mexican soil, the Brazilian could benefit from Velasquez's inactivity, who has already been warned by Ultimate management that he has until March 2015 to unify the belts, otherwise he will be stripped of his status as champion.

If aiming to fight Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum was preparing for a dynamic athlete, who works with a lot of movement and is a specialist in wrestling (Olympic wrestling), the reality of combat changed drastically with the arrival of Mark Hunt. A former kickboxing champion, the New Zealander made a career in K-1 events and focuses more on power than on the volume of his blows. The strategy has proven successful and recently earned him the feat of becoming the first man to knock out the very tough Roy Nelson in the octagon.

For these reasons, it is more likely that Werdum, a black belt in jiu-jitsu with several titles in the gentle art, should opt for the ground game for the fight at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. In addition to being his greatest specialty, it even gave him the biggest victory of his career against the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, the ground is also the weakest part of Hunt's game, and he has lost by submission in six of his eight defeats.

Full of local athletes, card also features “TUF: Latin America” finals

As is customary in Ultimate's first visits to new venues, the organization filled the UFC 180 card with local athletes. In total, there are six fights involving local athletes against foreigners and another in which two Mexicans face each other, totaling eight fighters from the country. Despite this, the organization's great expectations for the visit to Mexico were frustrated by the injury to Cain Velazquez, who, despite being North American, has a strong identification with the Mexican public.

In addition to the large number of home athletes, another highlight of the event is the finals of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, the first edition of the program in the region and which brought together a team of Mexican athletes against another made up of fighters from other Latin American countries. The two decisions of the TUF tournament close the main card of the night. In the bantamweight division, Mexicans Alejandro Pérez and José Alberto Quiñonez fight for the title, while in the featherweight division, Nicaraguan Leonardo Morales faces Yair Rodriguez, from Mexico. As usual, the winners earn a six-figure contract with the UFC.

Check out the full UFC 180 card below:

MAIN CARD

Heavy weight (up to 120 kg): Fabricio Werdum x Mark Hunt;

Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Kelvin Gastelum x Jake ellenberger;

Featherweight (up to 66 kg): Dennis Bermudez x Ricardo Lamas;

Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Chris Heatherly x Augusto Montaño;

Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Edgar García x Hector Urbina.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Featherweight (up to 66 kg): Yair Rodríguez  x Leonardo Morales;

Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Alejandro Pérez x José Quiñonez;

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Jessica Eye  xLeslie Smith;

Featherweight (up to 66 kg): Gabriel Benítez x Humberto Brown;

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Guido cannetti x Henry Briones;

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Marlon Vera x Marco Beltrán;

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